The guides and their athlete pose before hopping on the bus to begin the day's journey through the boroughs. From left to right: Maria Paul (co-guide), Denise Smith (athlete), Kristin Zielinski, and Erin Hulliberger (co-guide). Submitted by Kristin Zielinski. less

The guides and their athlete pose before hopping on the bus to begin the day's journey through the boroughs. From left to right: Maria Paul (co-guide), Denise Smith (athlete), Kristin Zielinski, and Erin ... more

Image 2 of 3

The two co-guides with the athlete at the volunteer's dinner on Friday, Nov. 1. From left to right: Erin Hulliberger (co-guide), Kristin Zielinski, Denise Smith (athlete). Submitted by Kristin Sielinski

The two co-guides with the athlete at the volunteer's dinner on Friday, Nov. 1. From left to right: Erin Hulliberger (co-guide), Kristin Zielinski, Denise Smith (athlete). Submitted by Kristin Sielinski

Being partially blind in her left eye had never inhibited Zielinski from her running hobby, and so a new goal was born the day she read about the marathon guide: "I've run three marathons for myself already, now I want to do one for someone else."

The medical education director for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Zielinski began to research how to get involved: She found Achilles International, an organization close to her native New York. She submitted her volunteer guide application and in September was accepted to run this year's race alongside an athlete, Denise Smith of Colorado, who has cerebral palsy.

Zielinski and her runner met for the first time at the expo before the marathon. She and her runner were out to finish the race, with a goal of seven hours. Her hopes were to prevent her runner from hitting the wall at the 20-mile point of the marathon, which Zielinski described as "a death march, those last few miles." A seasoned runner, three years with the Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club and one year with the Albany Running Exchange, she is familiar with the wall, but remained confident that she could push her runner past this obstacle.

There was an added element of difficulty in this marathon: The tightened security resulting from the Boston Marathon bombings. Zielinski typically carries one of the prohibited camelbacks, which allows her to easily sip water on the trail, but leaving that behind is a sacrifice she was happy to oblige. Instead, she carried a handheld water bottle and depended on the hydration stops along the way. She knew this would affect runners, but said, "Whatever they can do to prevent what happened in Boston is fantastic."

On the day of the marathon, to calm the nerves that still race within her before each marathon, she soaked in the sights. People-watching soothed Zielinski before taking the first plunge on the adrenaline-filled 26.2-mile journey. She strapped into one of her last few pairs of Mizuno Precisions; she bought four pairs at an outlet after the company stopped making her favorite running sneaker. Zielinski was ready to wear down her soles on new running territory.

Powering through the brisk November winds, Zielinski, in her neon volunteer guide shirt, and her runner crossed the finish line in six hours and 38 minutes, beating their goal of seven hours. "I encourage other runners to volunteer as a guide at least once; their lives will forever be changed."

Zielinski credited the crowds and fellow runners for offering up a wonderful experience through the boroughs.

Running the ING NYC Marathon had never been on her bucket list, but she had wanted to run the race for someone else and help an athlete with a disability to the end goal. Zielinski had anticipated the excitement that awaited them as the Achilles athletes and their running partners reached the special moment, their meeting with the finish line. "They all found a way to fulfill this dream of theirs."